We chatted to Mr B following his treatment for an enlarged prostate with Rezum therapy. He is very happy to speak to other patients considering treatment for an enlarged prostate. Do get in touch with us if you would like to discuss further.
What were your symptoms of BPH/LUTs and how did it impact your daily life?
A routine ultrasound of my kidneys for High Blood Pressure identified a cyst on my prostate pressing into the bladder creating a ball valve effect. I suppose over a period of time I had noticed a reduction in flow and pressure when urinating and some stopping and starting towards the end when going and an increased frequency need. I had also noticed more latterly over time some erectile dysfunction, which affected my self-confidence. In my mind I’d put these down to aging and not thought too much about potential treatment to be honest but the identification of the cyst as a possible cause spurred me on to have it investigated further and look at options.
What treatment and care did you follow before coming to see Richard Hindley?
Before coming to see Richard Hindley I arranged a referral through my insurer to see a more general urologist who specialised in TURP but was not familiar with less invasive treatments. A more detailed ultrasound was completed and a flow test which identified I could potentially benefit from a less invasive treatment option. He recommended that I see a specialist in less invasive treatment options but couldn’t recommend a specialist by name.
What caused you to go private and how did you choose to see Richard Hindley?
I was fortunate to already be on a private pathway for my first referral and sought authorisation from my insurer for a further referral based on the advice of the first urologist I had seen. I did some internet research into less invasive treatment pathways and came across Urology Partners. Their website was highly informative and I was reassured by the range of less invasive pathways offered and the outstanding line up of consultants within the practice. Looking through the biographies of Urology Partner’s consultants read like a who’s who of all the internationally renowned experts in their respective fields. Before choosing Richard Hindley, I used the resources on the Urology Partners website to familiarise myself with less invasive treatments and came across Rezum. In my amateur way, I thought that this was likely to be a potential option worth considering and as Richard Hindley is internationally renowned as the UK lead for this treatment, I decided to arrange an appointment with Richard to review my options.
How did you arrive at the decision to have Rezum?
Richard was so kind and thorough. He explained my options in detail through every stage of investigating the potential therapies that would be best suited to my diagnosis. He requested an MRI and from that and the previous ultrasound and flow test results, we discussed and agreed that Rezum was the option that would be best suited for me, have the lowest risk of complications and the fastest recovery timeframe. I was hugely reassured by the wealth of experience Richard has in treating patients not only with Rezum but as one of many less invasive treatment pathways he is internationally renowned for and his record of outstanding patient outcomes.
How was your recovery from the treatment – length of time to recover and time to see improvement in symptoms?
The treatment was day surgery at the excellent One Wellbeck facility. I remember asking the nurses whether the operating theatre was brand new as it was absolutely pristine but was told it was four years old. The nurse commented “we like to look after it though”. I left One Wellbeck at about 4.30pm with no pain and only very mild discomfort from the catheter that was fitted. Managing the catheter was fully explained to me and I was given a direct contact number for staff, should I experience any problems. I went back to One Wellbeck to have the catheter removed on day 4. Although having the catheter is mildly annoying, it was completely manageable and I travelled home after the surgery by tube and train without any issues and back to have it removed on public transport on day 4. I was quite worried about having it removed as 20 years previously, I had had a catheter after back surgery and the removal had been very painful. I need not had worried. The excellent urology nurse prepared me for the removal with breathing exercises to relax me and removed it in an instant and I honestly didn’t feel it at all. Once removed my recovery accelerated very quickly. I had some mild discomfort over the following two weeks as things settled down but it didn’t stop me from getting back to the gym and living a near completely normal life. I noticed that coffee and alcohol slightly aggravated the discomfort so I avoided them. Once the catheter was removed I immediately noticed an improvement in urine flow and pressure and the stopping and starting towards the end of urinating was completely gone. I experienced no incontinence and a very noticeable improvement in sexual function- although I avoided this for a few weeks as there was some mild discomfort initially. At 4 weeks post surgery I was completely back to normal but with a significant improvement in pressure and flow from the 2 weeks earlier and absolutely no remaining residual discomfort. I was completely back living my life to the full and didn’t need to make any allowances. Previously I had been getting up 3-4 times a night to go for a pee and post surgery at 4 weeks this was down to 1 visit only at most.
How do you feel now and how has the quality of your life improved?
As my prostate enlargement was slow and gradual, it was quite easy to ignore as the changes were over such a long period of time, however the improvement is so marked and has improved my quality of life hugely. Not only do I not need to go so often, the experience of urinating is so much quicker and without the annoying start/stop factor. My sexual function is fully restored and I have the peace of mind of knowing that all these issues are resolved fully for the foreseeable future. It sounds like a cliché but it has genuinely improved my confidence and made me feel like a younger man- perhaps due in part to sleeping better. Reflecting on my whole treatment journey, the first consultant I saw, prior to finding Richard Hindley, was of the view that a “wait and see” approach could be the best option as my symptoms weren’t severe enough to consider an intervention. Whilst I obviously respect his professional opinion, I am absolutely delighted to have found Richard Hindley and to have explored and considered all the options more fully and to have made the decision to go ahead with Rezum. Invariably recovering from surgery is easier and quicker when you’re younger and why wait for it to potentially deteriorate further and lose the option for a less invasive therapy like Rezum. My personal and highly positive experience of Rezum, has changed my mindset too, that the widespread accepted view that living with the looming and worsening symptoms of benign prostate enlargement, is a fact of male ageing, that we just have to accept and put up with. Rezum is low risk, quick to recover from and has delivered a fantastic outcome that is far beyond what I expected was possible. I cannot recommend Richard Hindley, Rezum as a therapy and the team at One Wellbeck highly enough. In my humble opinion, there really is absolutely no reason to wait and absolutely no downside to going with Rezum. This is 21st century medicine at its finest!